Tried soap for the first time, what did I go wrong?

[ppucci]

Hi all,

Finally got to try my D R Harrington for the first time this week, and maybe I did something wrong, cause I was really disappointed.

Tried to build some lather but all I got was some foam, but not the consistency I expected. Also, when applying it to the face, it would stay like a thin layer. Lastly, my blade did not "glide", on the contrary, I felt like it would slide less than using canned foam or gel.

I appreciate your input.

 

[ppucci]

I meant D R Harris...

 

[EPMD]

Maybe use more soap next time? Better to use too much product and wash some down the drain than not enough.

 

[dfoulk]

Maybe too much water / not enough soap if your lather is to thin. I like a thick protective lather so I always start off by shaking a lot of the water from my brush. I then add more water to the brush slowly as I need to. Just a couple drops at a time. You'll figure out how much by trial and error.

 

[Redzone]

Maybe too much water / not enough soap if your lather is to thin. I like a thick protective lather so I always start off by shaking a lot of the water from my brush. I then add more water to the brush slowly as I need to. Just a couple drops at a time. You'll figure out how much by trial and error.

+1

 

[Eeyore]

More product, less water.

And add water gradually, starting with a shaken out brush.

 

[ppucci]

I did not add water more than what I had poured on top of the soap to soften. I did use about a teaspoon of water, and the brush was well dried from after soaking. Maybe it needed more product.

What about it not sliding enough? Is it the way soaps work?

 

[Eeyore]

What about it not sliding enough? Is it the way soaps work?

No ... good soaps produce a very slick protective lather.

 

[gonzo4str8rzrs]

Face prep is the key to all wet shaves. Takes time and patience. Once you figure it out, they all work about the same.

 

[dfoulk]

Also, if you put some water on the soap make sure you dump it off before you put the brush to the soap. The idea behind soaking the soap is just to soften it up.

 

[Evil4blue]

My normal soap prep is to soak my brush (Badger or Boar), add water to the top of the puck, and let it all sit for ~3-5 minutes. I then let the water drip out of my brush until it stops and give it 1 or 2 good shakes (straight down), then dump the water off the top of the soap and start loading. I normally load clockwise for 15 secs and then counter-clockwise for 15 more. Some soaps take a little longer, some shorter loading times, but I find 30 secs is my normal starting point with new soaps. Now you should be good to lather on your face, bowl, or palm. I've done all 3 and never had an issue with this method. One caveat, I have softened water so lathering is never really an issue for me.

 

[Heespharm]

U can also load upside down... That get product on the tips and all the lather juice runs into the knot... I always load for about a minute and soak the puck long enough for the water to get hot and for me to soak and shake out my brush

 

[matchaman]

Soaps don't work this way but I've never tried D.R. (I assume you meant Harris). The most likely answer is that you need to experiment with it. It could be that you need to load more soap or your technique is wrong with your brush. I'd doubt it though. Soak your brush, shake it off a couple of times and you're good to go.

I started with a $15 Omega Pro 48 and it took me a month to learn how to lather.

 

[Cagliostro]

More soap and more water...lots of soaps are thirsty and require a good deal more work than a cream, some advice I could give best is find and use "Marco's Method For Italian Soft Soaps" or such...I am finding it works lovely on all my soaps hard or soft.

But yes I would say mastering soap is very worth while, some of the best shaves I got from my soaps...love them.

 

[jdkdonk]

Just keep that brush in the soap. I originally had a similar experience to you with lack of slickness. I've tried again lately, and found that a pretty wet bush is needed. Then I load for at least a minute. This is about 4 times as long as I originally did it. Also don't be afraid to go back for more time on the soap if you later is lacking in size or slickness. Don't be worried about using too much soap, seems like a lot of threads in the soap forum are with people complaining they can't use their soap up fast enough.

 

[ppucci]

Just shaved again, it seems like more soap did the trick. Now I just need to figure a way to keep the lather built inside the bowl, as it starts to build on the bowl's side and falling off. Maybe a larger/proper bowl?

 

[Demaskee]

Just shaved again, it seems like more soap did the trick. Now I just need to figure a way to keep the lather built inside the bowl, as it starts to build on the bowl's side and falling off. Maybe a larger/proper bowl?

Once I switched to soaps I switched to face lathering as well. I find it's easier to get a proper lather this way.